


A Meaningless Errand

by CatrinaSL



Series: Three Things [121]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Accounting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Blackouts, Broken Flashlight, Dry Erase Board, F/M, First Meetings, SHIP DARCY LEWIS WITH ALL THE THINGS, Three Things, tax form
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 13:11:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13975830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatrinaSL/pseuds/CatrinaSL
Summary: Loki runs a errand for his mother that turns out to be anything but meaningless.





	A Meaningless Errand

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FiberBard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiberBard/gifts).



> FiberBard prompted broken flashlight, tax form, dry erase board.

The electricity flickered as Loki walked through the door marked  _ Orion Spur Inc, Jane Foster, CPA _ to run a meaningless errand for his mother.

"Sorry about that," said the girl at the front desk. She gave him a glowing smile despite the apology. "This building is old; we never know when we're going to lose power. How can I help you?"

"I've... come to drop this off," Loki said, a little distracted by the way her hair curled down over her shoulders while he held out the piece of paper his mother had entrusted to him.

The girl took the paper from him and squinted at it. "Oh!" she said, comprehension dawning. "We've been waiting for this 1099!"

"Yes," Loki said. His eyes wandered to a whiteboard on the wall in an attempt to keep from ogling. He repeated what his mother had told him: "It just arrived."

"That happens sometimes," the girl assured him. "I'll just put this with Mr. and Mrs. Allfather's file. Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Loki replied. He could see no reason to stay any longer, but still felt like he wanted to. So he gestured at the drawing someone had done of several planets using purple and orange dry erase markers. "The solar system?"

The girl glanced at it and nodded. "Yeah, my boss likes to dabble in astrophysics in her off hours—not that she has many of those during tax season!"

"I can imagine," Loki replied.

The girl nodded, her smile just as bright as it had been when he had first walked in. "Anyway, I should..."

"Oh, I apologize; I didn't mean to keep you from your work." And surely an acquaintance of thirty seconds was too small to ask someone out for coffee...

"You aren't; it's no big deal," the girl told him, glancing down at the paper in her hands with the hint of a blush on her cheeks.

It occurred to Loki that her sudden bashfulness might be due to him. Perhaps his mother would ask him to deliver more meaningless but important documents. He could only hope.

"I should be going," he told her. 

"Thank you again."

Loki smiled politely, nodded, and turned to leave. The girl gave him a smile in return for his and headed for an open doorway nearby.

And then the lights went out.

"Sorry," came the girl's voice. "Let me just get my flashlight and I'll walk you out—Oh!"

There was a crash.

"Are you all right?" Loki gasped. He pulled out his phone to make use of the flashlight function.

"Yes, I'm fine," the girl said. "I appreciate your help."

As she made her way back to her desk, Loki could see an overturned wastebasket, but the girl seemed unharmed.

“Okay where  _ is _ that thing? You’d think I’d leave it on my desk; this happens often enough.”

“Would you mind if I…?” Loki began, stepping around the side of the desk to shine the light down on it.

“Thank you! Yes,  _ there _ it is.” She smiled at him gratefully and grabbed the large flashlight from behind her computer monitor.

But nothing happened when she switched it on.

“I promise our lighting problems have nothing to do with the quality of the services we provide,” she said nervously.

Loki laughed, and the girl relaxed. “Do you have another flashlight somewhere?” he asked.

“No, this is kind of… the office flashlight. And my phone isn’t new enough to have one of those, so…” She nodded at his phone, then shrugged. “I’m sure the lights will come back on soon. I just need to file this, and then… I was just about to close up shop when you walked in.”

“Would you like some help? With the filing.”

“Oh, no, that’s… I’m sure you have better things to do than babysitting me in the dark.”

“It would be my pleasure, Miss…?”

“Lewis,” she provided. “Darcy Lewis.”

An acquaintance of thirty seconds while performing a seemingly meaningless errand  _ was _ too small to ask someone out for coffee. But three hours later when the lights finally came back on, Loki asked.

And Darcy said yes.

**Author's Note:**

> [Prompt a Three Things fic!](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf7S2MbkK0CxVHMG3kF8CD6fYqD0zwY-J6MqLb21nmFyRpE4w/viewform)
> 
> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/171881093798/a-meaningless-errand)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


End file.
